A. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to vacuum cleaners and, more particularly, to a new and improved vacuum cleaner having a self-adjusting wiper strip assembly that automatically adjusts for the type of floor surface on which the vacuum cleaner is being used.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Vacuum cleaners are often operated on different floor surfaces such as bare floors and carpeting. Upright vacuum cleaners and modern canister vacuum cleaners have floor cleaning units with rotatable brushes or agitators positioned in the front portions of the floor cleaning units in front of suction inlet ducts. Each such agitator is rotated to propel dirt or debris on the bare floor or on carpeting rearwardly in the direction of the suction inlet duct. As a result, at least a portion of the dirt and debris propelled by the agitator enters the inlet duct while another portion may be propelled rearwardly of the floor cleaning unit and not enter the inlet duct. Therefore, a need exists for a vacuum cleaner mechanism, adaptable to different floor surfaces, for enhancing the collection of dirt and debris through the suction inlet duct.